Brothascomics Podcast

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Archie 2.0 Issue 2 Review

All New Archie issue 2 by Mark Waid and Fiona Staples

This relaunch/redesign of Archie kicks off with two recurring themes from many Archie comics- Archie needs money and Archie working a wide variety of jobs and being a terrible worker. The biggest twist in this standard go to Archie moment is that Jughead's family history is finally revealed. You see, Jughead was born Forsythe P. Jones and his family was very wealthy. So wealthy kids would fight to go to his birthday parties.

Sadly, his dad made a bad investment in "Purejug" a water bottling plant and lost their family fortune and this led to Forsythe getting his nickname Jughead that has stuck with him forever.

So Jughead hates money and all it represents. But Archie needs a job and money to help fix his car. Its in bad shape and Betty usually fixes it, but they are not talking since the "Lipstick Incident"! If you have read Archie for any amount of time, its well established that Archie is quite clumsy and accident prone. Its why whenever he does gets a job, he messes it up and is fired routinely. This new Archie plays to that history wonderfully. Archie takes a construction job at the new Lodge Plant that is being built. The Riverdale Gang knows Archie is going to get himself killed on a construction site so they all take jobs to save Archie from himself.

Eventually Archie blows it and causes a huge accident that gets him fired. He first has to clean up the mess he has made because even though he is a clutz, Archie is still responsible. Of course, this is Archie. As he is cleaning, he spots a limo pulling up to the mansion being built behind the factory and out steps Mr. Lodge and......

Veronica finally makes her appearance and she looks great of course. Archie has "love at first sight" but being Archie, he accidentally sets off a Bulldozer and it screams down a hill and crashes and destroys the new Lodge Mansion! Mr. Lodge doesn't see who did it, but this wont be the first time he suspects a certain redhead may have destroyed something valuable to him.

Meanwhile, its Betty's birthday and she does not feel like celebrating! Her new friend, Trevor is visiting and he suspects he has what will cheer Betty up and make her forget about, Lil Archie! It doesn't go well..

Ima not talk about her rejecting the black guy...

Trevor's sister tells Betty she has to get ready for this party and she needs to forget about Archie. And Betty does her best to get ready and make herself look nice for the party. Hell, Betty even put her weave in( excuse white people call them extensions).!

Yet, this is not Betty Cooper, or at least not the Betty Cooper she is comfortable with. Betty Cooper fixes things, not herself and the book ends with Betty making a wish while looking at Archie whose car has been mysteriously fixed.

Not gonna lie... I love this book! I know some Twitter Archie people don't like it and think its too all new and all different but at its heart, its not. Its an updated, nod to Classic Archie. Yes, the plotlines are a bit more dramatic, but the characters are true to their originals and have even more depth with their history! I was skeptical at first, but these 2 issues have won me over big time!
-The Producer